


The Best of the Best Ain't So Pretty

by The_Ringleader



Category: GOT7
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Assassin Boyfriends, Assassins, Corruption, Dark & Twisted Im Jaebum | JB, Dark & Twisted Kim Yugyeom, Dark & Twisted Park Jinyoung | Jr., Dom/sub, Dubious Consent, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, F/M, M/M, M/M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Tags will be updated as the story progresses, Toxic Relationships, Unhealthy Relationships, m/m/m/f
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 15:39:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11763030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Ringleader/pseuds/The_Ringleader
Summary: No one knows who they are, but everyone knows what they are capable of. If you want to hire them for a job, you don't go looking for them. They will find you.Until someone finally finds them.What happens when ruthless meets brutal, when cunning meets violence, when the lost meet the lost.A.K.A: Assassin Boyfriends find the missing piece of the puzzle in the form of a corrupt criminal investigator. But when the puzzle comes together, is the picture all that pretty?Note: I promise this won't be as dark as it seems and a lot of it if background noise. I will add notes and warnings for chapters if there is anything that requires it! However, this will be a little bit (a lot) f***ed up. This isn't a romantic story even though there will be elements of fluff and romance. Please don’t romanticise this… it will be toxic and it will be brutal at some points. End goal will be different, but it’s all about the context. Take it with a grain of salt. (Please read the tags which will be updated!)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I usually prefer my chapters to be minimum 3000 words each, however it means I find less motivation to write. So I’m sticking to shorter chapters (with occasional longer chapters) in hopes that it will keep me motivated and interested!

They could hear the soft, uneven footsteps tapping quietly along the wet pavement. Sneakers barely touching the asphalt, but enough to alert them that they were being followed. There was no need for physical acknowledgement between them. They were already synchronised enough to know that they all shared this piece of information. There were no need for words to devise their next plan of action. Each of them continued on, as if oblivious to the footsteps trailing them.

 

Hoods up and bloody fists in pockets, they wordlessly made their way through the quiet city side streets, avoiding busy roads and police street patrols. They had managed to wash off most of the blood that splattered across their pale faces, their black clothing hiding the rest. They had been in the business far too long for rookie errors and gleaming over the basics. They were thankful for the previous rain. The moist, cool air that was left in its wake helped to mask the metallic, rusty scent of blood.

 

They had the city streets mapped out in their heads since they were kids. They knew all the short cuts, the hidden alley ways to evade curious eyes, the busiest routes that would give them the cover of bodies, and the ones that would provide them with the most privacy should they need it. They turned right, into a quiet, dead-end street, filled with fond memories of the sound of metal crushing bones and fists breaking skin. There they waited, tucked in the shadows and completely out of sight to any passers-by, unless they were stupid enough to reach the very end of the dead-end street. But by then it would be too late.

 

*****

 

 _Stay close, but not too close_ , she thought to herself, eyes trained on the three figures ahead of her. Tonight was the night that she would finally get her moment to confront them. She had waited months and could feel the built up tension coursing through her veins, heating up her skin against the cold chill of the night. The adrenaline was a mix of excitement, anxiety, anger and… hope. She hoped with all her life that things would go right. That if she could manage to get them to look past her stalking them, once the anger subsided, they would be able to reason with her. They were the best in the business and you didn’t become the best with a short fuse.

 

The figures moved so casually through the streets. Silently but unassuming. Had she been a regular civilian, she would have thought them harmless and un-intimidating. _That’s all part of the guise, I guess. Lull people into a false sense of security, gain their trust, then do the job_.

 

In the months that she had been studying them, exhausting all her resources to try and track them down, she had barely learnt a thing about them. They were off all police radars, mere whispers in the criminal underworld of the city. All that was known was that they were the best of the best, and that if you had a job for them, they would find you, not the other way around. This could be her only chance. They were fresh from a hit, she had to take it or leave it.

 

Twenty metres ahead of her, they rounded a corner to their right. Maintaining her distance, she snuck up to the wall and peaked around the corner, tucking her loose hair behind her ear so it wouldn’t fall into visibility. There was nothing to be seen in the dark alcoves of the narrow blocked street.

 

She knew _who_ were waiting for her at the end of the alley, but she didn’t know _what_ was waiting for her. Taking a deep breathe, she steeled herself. She kept up her light-footed step as she made her way further down the alley, her eyes unable to adjust to the darkness in time.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Violence, Mentions of Rape & Underage

Tessa felt them before she heard them. A hand clamping down on the back of her neck, slamming her against the closest wall. The first sound she heard was the smack of her head against the brick, the second was her own gasp as the air was knocked right out of her lungs, and the third was the chorus of low, growling chuckles as her vision began to swim, the darkness swirling in her peripherals.

 

She was pulled away from the wall by the hand moving to grab a fist of her hair, only to be spun around and kicked in the stomach. She didn’t have enough time to think before a fist connected with her jaw in a swift uppercut. To her own surprise, she couldn’t taste any blood. But she didn’t have much time to think as the hand that was wrapped in her hair moved to her throat, grip tightening around either side of her neck. Enough to slow the oxygen supply without crushing her windpipe. The back of her head once again connected with the brick wall behind her, crunching in her ears.

 

Her own hands came up to wrap around the one gripping her throat, her fingers seeking purchase, trying to pry the hand away enough to take a decent breath. She struggled. The low chuckles filling her ears, the only noise besides her own whines and grunts as she tried to escape.

 

She stopped moving suddenly. It was too difficult to breathe and she didn’t want to put up a fight. She let her hands fall to her side as she focused on breathing, in and out, in and out. She needed to put up a brave front. She needed to be confident and calculated in her actions. To throw them off and spike their interest. Do what others hadn’t seemed to accomplish yet.

 

When her vision came into focus, her eyes connected with the person who gripped her throat. She didn’t move, and neither did he. Blinking at him a few times, he finally cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head ever so slightly. She was unable to read his expression.

 

“I’m n-not… going to, to beg for my life”, she tried to say, as calming as she could muster.

 

The man’s eyes narrowed, a wide smirk playing on his lips as he looked back over his shoulder. The other two men stood close by, crowding her and blocking any chance of escape. They glanced around at each other, exchanging smirks. The man who gripped her throat looked down at the ground, chuckling, his grip loosening on her throat.

 

In a split second, he had her pinned against the wall with his own body pressed firmly against hers, his hand holding down on her throat, tighter than before. Using his grip, he tilted her head to the side, forcing her to look at the other two men, who had moved in even closer still.

 

“Is that so?” he said, his lips grazing her temple as he spoke, “because I bet we can make you change your mind. You wouldn’t be begging for your life by the time we’re done, but begging for us to end it”. He ended with a small, quiet laugh against her temple. His voice, deep and gravely.

 

“I’m _not_ going to beg for my life”, she rasped out, “I want, I want to h-hire y-you.”

 

The man pulled his face away from hers, eyebrow knitted together as he watched her intently.

 

“Hire us?” one of the other men asked, voice higher pitched than the man whose hand remained around her throat. He was the tallest of the three, lean build, and looking far too young to be the person in the rumours. His hair was smooth, mostly covering his forehead and falling just over his eyes, adding an air of innocence she knew was nothing but a mask. “You want to hire us?” he laughed.

 

“I don’t think you could afford us, _foreigner_ ,” the last of the three challenged. He was handsome, almost regal in his appearance. She could have easily mistaken him for young CEO or businessmen. His face was inviting, plump lips pulled into a toying smirk. His hair perfectly in place. He looked like he lived a lavish life amongst the wealthy, but she knew better than that.

 

“What could a _cop_ , possibly want with our… services?” the man with his hand around her throat asked, eyes flicking down to her lips and then back up, but never leaving her face. His features were striking. Sharp and alert, could easily devastate anyone. Inviting but intimidating. The stereotypical bad boy. The one you should avoid at all costs.

 

Her heart rate spiked. _How do they know I’m a cop?_   “I’m not a cop,” she bit back through gritted teeth, “I’m an investigative detective. Freelance actually, so technically, not a cop.” Her eyes flitted between each of their faces. “And I don’t want to hire you to kill anyone… actually. I don’t want to hire you, I want to make a deal with you.”

 

Their loud laughter pierced through the silence in the alley way. The next second, all the sound around her became distorted when she felt her body been thrown to the ground with such force that she cried out, unsure if her wrist, which she landed on, was broken or not. She clutched at it, holding it tight to her body as she scrambled to get up. She blinked at the stinging in her eyes, refusing to cry in front of these men.

 

Until that moment, the only person that had touched her was man who had choked her. The young, tall man stepped closer to her. He reached out slowly, fingers gently touching her wrist. He pulled on it slightly, not enough to cause any pain but enough for Tessa to understand that he wanted to inspect it.  He held it delicately, his fingers prodding at the tender flesh before he looked back over his shoulder at the man who had choked Tessa, “Jaebeom-hyung… it’s not broken”.

 

With a swift movement of his own wrist, Tessa screamed through gritted teeth as she felt the bones in her wrist snap more than once. She fell to her knees, grunting in pain, her wrist still in the tall man’s grasp. “Fixed it for you hyung!” He smiled, still looking over his shoulder before he looked back at the woman on the floor who was trying and failing at holding back her tears. He smiled wide at the sight. He bent down into a squat so that he was level with her, trying to catch her eyes. She kept looking away but he followed her movements, ducking his head whichever way she looked until she finally looked him in the eyes. The innocent smile was still plastered on his face, sickeningly sweet, a complete contrast to his actions. Tessa tried to concentrate on breathing while staring into his face. Tried everything in her power to not look afraid or intimidated. This was not how the night was meant to go. “Just because you’re a woman,” he smiled at her, before his face dropped all pretenses of kindness, mouth turning down and eyes zeroing in menacingly, “doesn’t mean we won’t kill you too”.

 

He threw her broken wrist back at her, and she grasped it tightly, holding back the howl of pain that was waiting to rip through her. The man walked back to the other two, who had been watching silently, their smiles never leaving their faces. “Thank you, Yugyeom-ah”, said Jaebeom who beamed brightly at the taller man. Yugyeom bowed his head.

 

“You’re getting stronger, Gyeomie,” the third man spoke, bringing a hand up to rest lightly on Yugyeom’s chest as he regarded him with a knowing look.

 

“Thank you, Jinyoung-hyung.” Yugyeom’s hand came up to rest on top of Jinyoung’s squeezing it for a moment before they both let go.

 

Jinyoung stepped forward, pulling back his hood as he crouched down before her. He watched her, his facial expression neutral and unreadable. Tessa felt on edge under his gaze, as if he were reading her mind or tearing back the layers and walls she had built up over the years. “We don’t do deals with cops, _Tessa_ ”.

 

Tessa felt her body temperature drop in an instant, and knew that her reaction was written all over her face judging by the way they looked at her. _So what if they know my name. I know theirs too_. _It’s just a name_.

 

“Oh sorry… not a cop. But scum nonetheless,” Jinyoung scoffed as he ‘corrected’ himself. “All of you are corrupt. At least we’re honest with what we do. But all of you… you’re disgusting. You exploit your power and cover with it up with lies of ‘protecting the public’ or ‘the greater good’. You’re no better than us. You’re just legal criminals in a uniform.

 

He struck her then, right hook connecting hard and fast. This time, Tessa tasted blood.

 

“You’re right. We’re corrupted. The whole lot of us. But you’re wrong about one thing…” she spluttered, spitting out blood and part of a broken tooth. She reached for the shard of tooth, playing with it between her fingers and refusing to look up at them.

 

Jinyoung had joined the others, watching her. They remained silent, comfortable in letting this drag out.

 

“I have no power at all. I’m about to be fired if I don’t solve this next case. I need your help. You obviously know I’ve done a lot to track you down, considering no one has managed thus far. I know you’re hired hitmen… assassins. But I also know you don’t take every job. You’re extremely selective. And it took me forever to figure it out, longer than I’d like to admit it… but you do hide your work and your patterns very well.

 

Tessa tossed the tooth away as she felt something shift. The air between them became weighted and heavy. She could feel the hostility thickening, coiling around them are they were gearing up to pounce, their patience wearing thin with the new direction of the conversation. She needed to push forward and act fast if she wanted to make it out of this one still breathing.

 

“Despite the fact that you are _murders_ , you still have morals. No amount of money seems to make you change your mind about certain jobs… and sometimes, you’ll even go out of your way to prove a point. Like that one man, what’s his name? Oh… Kang Su Min, who hired a hit on his eleven year old son. You didn’t take it, but killed him instead to prove a point. Not before setting things up so that his son would inherit a fuck-load of money and live safely with his aunt. You have a sense of justice, of right and wrong. I need your help.

 

There was a moment of silence after Tessa finished speaking. She felt as if she were on a tightrope, walking between skyscrapers. It was as if the wind had stilled, the calm before the storm. Then everything happened in a blur. The rush of footsteps towards her, the searing pain in her wrist and shooting down her spine, the impact of the punches and kicks. The onslaught felt like it lasted for hours, whereas it only last seconds. Jaebeom grabbed her by the hair again, pulling her up to standing position, though she could hardly manage it herself. He pushed her back, straight into the chests of Yugyeom and Jinyoung who held her up.

 

“Who do you work for, _foreigner_?! What kind of game do you think this is? Who the _fuck_ are you?” he growled directly in her face, words laced with pure anger.

 

“Lee Ji Sung. Over the past nineteen years, he has kidnapped, raped and murdered over thirty _children_. There is never any evidence or clues. He is meticulous. His targets are unpredictable except that they are all children under the age of ten. The only thing he leaves behind is a calling card. A playing card with cherubs on it, always a spade, and the number is always the same as the age of the child. Sometimes he leaves notes in the advertisement or wanted sections of various newspapers. Besides that, the case is cold and they are about to close it when it hits twenty years. They are going to archive this case and let a paedophile run free.

 

Tessa could her the hysterics in her voice but couldn’t stop it. She grabbed onto Jaebeom’s jacket, tugging at it in desperation, his hand still entangled in her hair, pulling at it. Her eyes darted from side to side, trying to see Yugyeom and Jinyoung in her peripherals. “Please, help me find him. He can’t get away with this.”

 

“What do we get in return?” Yugyeom questioned, boredom colouring his voice. Tessa couldn’t say for sure, but it sounded like an act.

 

“You’ve been kept off the police radar for now, but sooner or later, they will catch up with you. I’m hardly the best in the force, but I had the resources and the time to find you. Imagine what someone else with better skills could do if they hear about you?”

 

Jaebeom pulled her hair even harder, Jinyoung’s grip on her waist and arm tightened, fingernails piercing her skin, and Yugyeom moved in front of her, grabbing her throbbing jaw, fingers digging into the hollows of her cheeks and making her look at him.

 

“I will make sure that doesn’t happen,” she choked out, tears involuntarily rolling down her cheeks, “I am mastermind at hacking. I will make sure that any record of you is scratched before it even comes to fruition. I will throw them off your trail and keep you hidden for as long as I work there.”

 

“Not good enough,” Jinyoung bit at her ear. Tessa could feel the panic set in. She needed their help. They were the only people she believed were capable of tracking Lee Ji Sung.

 

“I’ll do anything. Anything you want. Anything. Just… please, please help me track him down.”

 

“Anything?” Jaebeom echoed.

 

“Anything! I will do anything. Give you anything”, she spluttered.

 

Another pause. The three seemed to be in a silent conversation. Tessa felt the blood leaking out of her mouth and over Yugyeom’s already bloody hand, mingling with the blood of their latest hit. Yugyeom absentmindedly wiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb, moving it slowly back and forth over the corner of her lip. She leaned into the touch. Her body was weakening by the second and she began to incoherently mumble, “P-p-lease. Help…. Any… thing, an-any-th-ing…”

 

She felt her body being moved and maneuvered slowly to the ground until she was resting her on her side. There were no conversations going on between the three men, but she managed to catch the word ‘ambulance’.

 

It felt like an eternity dragged on before she heard the distant sounds of sirens. Her mind was going blank and her vision had already blacked out. Every breath felt like it was tearing her up inside. She was quickly losing consciousness, barely on this side of awake.

 

“You’re going to regret your words,” followed by fading footsteps were the last things she heard.


End file.
